4 · Passive and causative
When Korean uses a passive
passive and active in real use
English reaches for the passive far more often than Korean, which prefers an active sentence with the doer left out.
English often uses the passive simply to avoid naming the doer: "the window was broken", "English is spoken here", "I was told". Korean does not need a passive for that, because it can leave out the subject of an active sentence: 누가 창문을 깼어요, 여기서는 영어를 써요, 들었어요. Dropping the subject does the job that the passive does in English.
Korean does use a passive where the event seems to happen by itself and no doer comes to mind (문이 열렸어요, 길이 막혀요, 감기에 걸렸어요); for perception (보여요, 들려요); for something unpleasant that happens to you, often keeping the object: 발을 밟혔어요, "someone trod on my foot"; and in news, notices and official writing, where institutions avoid naming who decided: 연기되었습니다.
Many English passives have no Korean passive at all. Being praised, invited or loved is "receiving" it, with 받다: 칭찬받다, 초대받다, 사랑받다. Suffering something bad is often 당하다: 사기를 당하다, "be cheated". And some ideas have their own verbs: 혼나다 "be told off", 도둑맞다 "be robbed".
When translating from English, ask first whether the doer matters. If not, keep the Korean verb active and leave the subject out, or use a verb that describes the result (깨지다, "break", of a cup). Strings of 되다 and -아/어지다, especially with 에 의해, are what make Korean sound translated.
The form
| doer unimportant: active, no subject | 누가 제 우산을 가져갔어요. |
| "is spoken here" | 여기서는 영어를 써요. |
| happens by itself | 문이 열렸어요. |
| done to you, object kept | 발을 밟혔어요. |
| with 받다 | 칭찬을 받았어요. |
| with 당하다 | 사기를 당했어요. |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Where English uses a passive to leave out the doer, Korean usually keeps the verb active and drops the subject.
이 근처에서 새 아파트를 짓고 있어요.A new block of flats is being built near here.
An event that happens by itself takes a passive or an intransitive verb.
컵이 떨어져서 깨졌어요.The cup fell and broke.
Something unpleasant done to you can keep its object with the passive.
지하철에서 발을 밟혔어요.Someone trod on my foot on the underground.
Many English passives are 받다 or 당하다 with a noun in Korean.
생일 파티에 초대받았어요.I was invited to a birthday party.
A closer look
How translated Korean sounds
Korean editors have a name for prose that copies the structure of another language: translationese. Its clearest sign is the passive with a named doer: 이 책은 많은 학생들에 의해 읽혀지고 있다, "this book is being read by many students". It is a double passive with 에 의해 on top.
A Korean writer would make the readers the subject: 많은 학생들이 이 책을 읽고 있다. If the book has to stay the topic, 이 책은 학생들이 많이 읽는다 keeps it in front and the verb active.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the text is a notice, a news report or an official document
passives with 되다 are normal and expected.
오늘 공연은 날씨 때문에 연기되었습니다.Today's performance has been postponed because of the weather.
Official writing avoids naming the person who decided, and the passive is how it does so.
How to spot it
- 받다
- 당하다
- 되다
- 혼나다
Example sentences
이 가게에서는 카드를 안 받아요.Cards are not accepted in this shop.
선생님께 칭찬받았어요.I was praised by the teacher.
어제 회사에서 부장님한테 혼났어요.I got told off by my manager at work yesterday.
여행 중에 소매치기를 당했어요.I had my pocket picked while travelling.
그 소식은 뉴스에서 들었어요.I heard about it on the news.
바람 때문에 우산이 뒤집혔어요.My umbrella was blown inside out by the wind.
8 more example sentences
누가 제 자전거를 가져갔어요.My bicycle has been taken.
그 영화는 많은 사람에게 사랑받았어요.That film was loved by a great many people.
어제 산에서 벌에 쏘였어요.I was stung by a bee on the mountain yesterday.
친구한테 생일 선물을 받았어요.I was given a birthday present by a friend.
그 사람은 인터넷에서 사기를 당했어요.That person was cheated online.
이 마을에서는 아직도 옛날 말을 써요.Old words are still used in this village.
비밀번호를 세 번 틀려서 카드가 정지됐어요.I got the PIN wrong three times, so the card was blocked.
수업 시간에 졸다가 선생님한테 걸렸어요.I was caught dozing in class by the teacher.
Worth knowing (1)
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받다: the passive of praise and gifts
Verbs such as 칭찬하다 "praise", 초대하다 "invite", 사랑하다 "love" and 주목하다 "pay attention" have no everyday passive. Korean turns them round with 받다, "receive".
그 배우는 요즘 많은 관심을 받고 있어요.That actor is getting a lot of attention these days.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
사랑하다 has no everyday passive with 되다. Being loved is receiving love: 사랑받다.
Ask first whether the doer matters; if not, Korean simply leaves it out.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.